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  • 2014
  • 1 h 21 m
  • 2014
  • 1 h 21 m

Summary Bali is world famous as a tourist paradise but for some Balinese women the reality is more troubling. Approximately 10% of Balinese families are polygamous, and men in these unions often take multiple brides without their spouse's consent. Filmed over the course of seven years, Bitter Honey offers the first in-depth exploration of these ...

Directed By: Robert Lemelson

  • 2014
  • 1 h 21 m
  • 2014
  • 1 h 21 m

Bitter Honey

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 6 Critic Reviews
62
User Score Available after 4 ratings
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Summary Bali is world famous as a tourist paradise but for some Balinese women the reality is more troubling. Approximately 10% of Balinese families are polygamous, and men in these unions often take multiple brides without their spouse's consent. Filmed over the course of seven years, Bitter Honey offers the first in-depth exploration of these ...

Directed By: Robert Lemelson

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 6 Critic Reviews
62
50% Positive
3 Reviews
50% Mixed
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 6 Critic Reviews
62
50% Positive
3 Reviews
50% Mixed
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
75
Oct 23, 2014
The small Indonesian island of Bali still evokes images of a tropical paradise where Westerners can escape the discontents of the so-called developed world. Much of that romance lingers in Bitter Honey.
By Peter Keough FULL REVIEW
70
Oct 30, 2014
There is nothing remotely salacious about Bitter Honey, an agonizing documentary examination of polygamy in Bali, Indonesia, from the U.C.L.A. anthropologist Robert Lemelson. There is only vivid evidence of a society that, despite limp efforts at discouraging domestic abuse, remains mired in ancient patriarchy, sanctioning polygamy and, implicitly, often attendant violence.
By Andy Webster FULL REVIEW
70
Oct 2, 2014
For Westerners, Lemelson offers an eye-opening look behind Bali's profile as a tourist Shangri-la. The documentary's ultimate value, though, may be in local education.
By Sheri Linden FULL REVIEW
60
Oct 14, 2014
Lemelson's interviews can be repetitive in their direct staging, but there's inspiration in his conceit of using a shadow-puppet performance set to gamelan music as interludes.
By Michael Nordine FULL REVIEW
60
Oct 2, 2014
Intelligently assembled by Lemelson, a UCLA anthropologist, it addresses a Westerner's concerns without condescending to its subjects; though a three-family focus is hardly enough to make an authoritative-feeling portrait.
By John DeFore FULL REVIEW
50
Nov 6, 2014
It would be nice to know if the troubling images we see are a sweeping problem or just a small glimpse of a minority.
By Stephanie Merry FULL REVIEW

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Details

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Production Company Elemental Productions
Release Date Oct 3, 2014
Duration 1 h 21 m
Genres
Tagline The hidden faces of polygamy in Bali
Website http://bitterhoneyfilm.com/
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